Plan your Great Wall tour? Maybe you are torn by the question “Which section of the Great Wall to hike, Badaling or Mutianyu?”. Many first-time travelers would choose Mutianyu Great Wall thanks to its good online comments along with the good word of mouth.
The main factor for good comments on Mutianyu Great Wall is its less crowdedness. But when it comes to the grandeur of the Great Wall itself, Badaling Great Wall is not outweighed by Mutianyu Great Wall. “Badaling” literally means “Mountains Stretching in Eight Directions”.
Therefore, Badaling Great Wall snakes on the mountain ranges in many directions, more changeable and impressive, unlike Mutianyu Great Wall which monotonously undulates on the mountain range roughly from east to west. That’s one of the reasons why Badaling Great Wall has always been so crowded.
Let’s get away from the question – Badaling or Mutianyu in terms of hiking. Don’t you have an itch for flying over the Great Wall of China? Viewing the Great Wall of China from the sky? At present, Badaling Great Wall is the only section commercially open to the helicopter tour.
Seeing the Great Wall of China from the air by helicopter is an exciting adventure and delivers unrivalled photo opportunities to capture images of China’s iconic landmark. Beijing Helicopter tour is also a great way to impress business associates, start up a little romance, or have a blast with a group of friends.
Beijing Capital Helicopter Co.,Ltd.
Beijing Capital Helicopter is a joint venture between Beijing Government and HNA Group with each side invented RMB 0.42 Billion, the only professional helicopter company for the aerial tourism flights in Beijing.
The helicopters appointed for aerial tours are the R-44 Helicopters from USA. Each seat in a helicopter has the insurance coverage worth RMB 2 millions.
Beijing Badaling Airport
Beijing Badaling Airport has a good location in Yanqing with the overall weather forecast system, about 80 km northwest of Beijing city centre. It has an area of 211,788 square meters with one mixed concrete runway of 800 meters long and 30 meters wide as well as one parking apron of 12,000 square meters.
The main aviation facilities include the airport waiting hall of 3,000 square meters, a hangar of 900 square meters, a working space of 650 square meters and living quarters of 1,000 suqare meters.
The Robinson R44 Helicopter
There are four Robinson R44 Helicopters that cater to the aerial tour of Badaling Great Wall. It is a four-seat light helicopter produced by the Robinson Helicopter Company. Based on the company’s two-seat Robinson R22, the R44 features hydraulically assisted flight controls.
Now it is one of the most welcome light helicopters in the world. The helicopters are known for a smooth ride and exceptional visibility from within the spacious cabins. The Robinson R44 is 11.6 meters long, 1.6 meters high; maximum speed: 250 km/h, and range: 560 km.
Badaling Aerial Tour
The helicopter company mainly operates the 15-minute and 30-minute flights over the Badaling Great Wall including its wild, original and unrestored extended section of the Great Wall.
For Badaling Helicopter Tour, check out Beijing Helicopter Tours.
Beijing Aerial Travel Tips
1. For the regular 15-minute and 30-minute aerial tour, you need to book 4 days in advance.
For your custom charters ( to Tangshan, Beidaihe…), you need to submit your specific request in two weeks.
2. If you want to cancel your booked flight, please notice us of your cancellation in 48 hours otherwise 10% cancellation fee will be charged.
3. In case of the grounding of helicopters because of force majeure (weather, air-control…), You will be noticed of the grounding at the earliest time. You will have either your flight date changed or money refunded.
4. You should participate in an aerial tour based on your health condition. Those travelers are not recommended to take an aerial tour who are either over 60 years old or suffer from Hear Disease, Hypertension, Cardiovascular and other diseases.
Add on
Travel Tips for Visiting Great Wall of China
Visit Badaling Great Wall by Train
Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:
Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Great Wall Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour
Further Readings
Best Time to Visit Beijing
How to plan a trip to Beijing
Top 10 Attractions in Beijing
How to Visit Forbidden City
How to Visit Temple of Heaven
How to Visit Summer Palace
How to Visit Ming Tombs
How to Visit the Great Wall of China
How to Visit Tiananmen Square
How to Visit Hutongs
How to Visit Olympic Sites
Top 10 Markets in Beijing
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing
Beijing Shopping
Wangfujing Walking Street
Qianmen Commercial Street
Gui Jie ( Ghost Street) Food Street
Any questions, just drop a line.
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